Rooted in the telling of one family's life, The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual by Cathy Bao Bean is a story for all families. In this humorous and poignant memoir, the author, an immigrant from China, recounts how she figured out how to be herself, as well as raise a son whose artist father did things like paint the lawn. As Cathy Bao Bean attempts to satisfy disparate cultural norms, she provides us with a unique window into the experience of a bicultural family.